Crossfire
by holychocolatestarfish
Summary: Zack gets shot in a mob hit and soon finds himslef clinging to life. The mob returns to finish off the job, endangering the whole Martin family. This story is written by xfilesguy123 and mylsef.
1. Caught in the Crossfire

**A/N: Hey everybody! Xfilesguy123 has asked me to write a story with him! He had a great idea so I said that I would write it with him. (you can probably see that) So here it is. And don't forget to review at the end. We want to know what you think of it so far. Hope you enjoy! **

Disclaimer: We own nothing. Well, except the plot of course. And any characters that aren't in TSL. So I guess we do own something.

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Special agent Scott Rivers put another sunflower seed in his mouth. He sighed as he continued to listen to eighth grade history teacher Roger Harlan go on and on about the Civil War. Scott checked his watch. 2:50. School would be over in ten minutes. At 3:15, Roger Harlan was supposed to die. He was a star witness in a major trial that had a notorious crime boss facing either life in prison or the death penalty. The FBI had caught wind that the mob was shutting people up after three key witnesses were found dead under unusual circumstances. The Boston Field Office was called in to protect Harlan at all costs. Harlan's brother had close ties to the mob boss on trial. The brother had been killed off about a year earlier before the boss was arrested. Harlan had fled from Chicago to Boston. Soon after that the FBI stormed the mob boss's Chicago home and arrested him and five other big members of the Caprenza mob family. Two of the arrested family members had already been executed. The family had been unable to protect them. The other three members and the boss were set to go on trial in a week. Harlan was one of three witnesses in Boston. The other two had not yet come to the FBI for help.

Scott was currently listening in to Harlan's last class thanks to a recording device hidden in his desk. If the mob got ballsy and attacked him in the school, Scott and his men had to know. Scott was alone in the van that had been set up. He had one agent posing as an electrician on top of a telephone pole nearby. Two agents were inside posing as janitors. Scott's partner, Derek Cross, was sitting in an unmarked car in the front parking lot. A car line had already started to form.

"Stay alert, guys. Harlan is just finishing his lecture," said Scott.

"Learn anything new, Scott?" asked Derek.

"Only that this guy is a boring ass teacher. And some kid named Zack almost fell asleep," explained Scott.

"That's nothing. I have a fucking pigeon up here that thinks I'm the public restroom." Scott laughed as Special agent Marty Groves, who was on the telephone pole, complained.

"OK. Reports due in a week. See you tomorrow." Scott jumped up as Harlan finished his lecture.

"He's letting them out early. Let's grab this guy and haul ass," ordered Scott. Pete, Johnny? You guys near the room?"

"Yeah. We'll go in after all the kids leave," said Special agent Johnny Mercer.

"Keep an eye out. We don't know what these guys are planning."

"Shit, two guys in suits just entered the building," said Marty over the radio.

"Harlan is talking to a kid in his room. Johnny, Paul, run interference. Everyone else move in." Scott threw down his headset and burst out of the van. Marty was coming down the pole. Derek was getting out of the corner. That's when the SUV broke out. Then came the gunfire. Then all hell broke loose.

Zack Martin sighed as he and Mr. Harlan walked down the hall.

"Zack, I know you can do better in my class then a C. Did you go to a tutor?" asked Harlan.

"No. I just don't have time. With basketball and going out." Harlan sighed.

"Zack, if your grades go any lower you won't be allowed to play basketball. I don't want that to happen," said Harlan. Zack nodded. Two janitors walked up to them.

"Mr. Harlan," said one of them. Harlan seemed to recognize them.

"All right, Johnny. Let's go. Zack, I'll see you tomorrow," said Harlan. Zack nodded and started to walk away. That's weird, he thought. Two men in suits rounded a corner. Zack heard one of the janitors start to shout. The men in suits drew guns and fired. Zack watched in horror as the janitors were shot in the chest and head several times. Harlan got hit several times. Zack gasped in horror as blood went everywhere. Then he felt a pain in his stomach. Zack looked down. Blood was seeping through his shirt. Zack placed his hands over the wound and collapsed. The shooters took off in the opposite direction, leaving Zack to fend for himself.

"Zack better not leave without me again," Cody said to himself. He had had trouble getting his locker open, and was now trying to shove four books into his small backpack. After a minute of struggling with all of his homework, he picked up the one remaining book that couldn't fit in his backpack and stood up. Reaching for his backpack, he turned to leave, and found his backpack way heavier than he thought it would be.

"Ah shit." Cody set his book down and picked his backpack up with both arms and slumped it onto his shoulders. Being so small, Cody was almost pulled down by the weight. Then he realized a problem. His book was on the floor, and if he bent down, he would surely fall down. He sat in the hallway for a few seconds, wondering what he would do about his predicament. Then a series of loud bangs rang through the air. Cody had never heard the sound other than in the movies, but he knew what it was. He just couldn't figure out why it would be in his school. He dropped his backpack and ran to where he thought the sound was coming from. Walking into one hallway he knew that that had been where he heard the gunshots, and he cringed at all the blood he saw. It was splattered all over the walls and floors. Cody had to refrain himself from throwing up when he saw the bodies of two janitors lying on the floor on top of a big pool of blood.

He kept walking and he made out the bloodied figure of his social studies teacher. This was too much to take in. Cody felt himself choke up as he began to cry. There was no way that the janitors and his teacher could have done something so bad that they needed to die. Cody kept walking. He needed to find a phone and call 911. As he walked, he could see something on the floor up ahead. His eyes were all blurry from his crying so he squinted through them. He walked closer and closer to the figure on the floor. With each step he walked faster until he was at a dead sprint. No! It couldn't be! Cody could see the figure on the floor clearly now. But he couldn't believe what he saw. Zack was lying on the floor with blood seeping through his shirt and was shaking uncontrollably.

"Zack!" Cody yelled as he took of his jacket and placed it over his shivering brother.

Zack's eyes fluttered open.

"Cody," he whispered.

"Shhh. Don't talk. I'm going to go call an ambulance. Just stay here and don't fall asleep. I'll be right back." Cody ran to the school office and dialed 911 on the phone. After talking with a 911 operator he hung up the phone and ran back to his brother. Zack seemed to have slipped into sleep while he was gone.

"Zack. You have to wake up. I know you're tired, but you have to stay awake." Zack's eyes fluttered open once again. "The ambulance will be here soon. You just need to hang on. Okay?" Zack nodded his head, but his eyes were starting to close again. In fear that his brother would fall asleep, Cody said, "Tell me about that scary movie you always make me watch. I never get to see it 'cause I'm always closing my eyes."

"After the Zombie slashes the girl's throat, he eats her brain out. Then he sticks his hand through her chest and pulls her heart out and eats that too. It's really gross when he pulls out the intestines..."Zack dragged on. Each of his words was slow and deliberate. As Zack continued on telling about the Zombies, Cody was secretly listening for sirens. A man who looked like an electrician ran up eventually and asked if Cody had called an ambulance. Cody nodded, not once looking at the electrician. It was like a joyous sound from heaven when he finally heard the sirens. It wasn't long before the paramedics were pushing Cody away and loading Zack onto a stretcher. Another ambulance arrived for the three deceased.

"Cody," Zack was saying over all of the commotion.

"What?"

"I love you. Make sure you tell mom I love her, too."

"You're not going to die Zack! You know I can't lose you! I love you too much. And if you love me, you'll fight to live. You hear that, Zack? Promise me you'll fight with every ounce of life you have in you to stay alive!" Cody screamed as he followed the paramedics into the ambulance.

"I promise," he whispered.

"He's stopped breathing!" yelled one of the paramedics.

"What! Zack! You promised! You promised me you'd fight! Zack!" Cody screamed as the ambulance drove away and Cody was dragged to safety by a police officer.

Scott looked up from behind the van. The SUV had driven off. Then he heard shots from inside.

"Oh, shit. Move in! Move in!" Derek and Marty raced towards the building with guns drawn.

"Johnny! Paul! Come in!" Scott felt like kicking something as he burst into the school. Students were screaming and fleeing in every direction. Scott could hear sirens in the distance. He cautiously made his way through the halls.

"Scott, Harlan's dead. Jesus, so is Johnny and Paul. Looks like a kid got shot too. NO sign of the shooters," crackled Marty's voice over the radio.

"We got set up. Someone knew we here. Damnit, get that kid some help," said Scott.

"Already done. His brother called the police. Derek and I are going after the shooters."

"No. Do not let that kid out of your sight. He's our only witness at the moment."

"Kid has a fucking bullet in his stomach. He'll be lucky if he survives the ride to the hospital."

"Stay with that kid, Marty."

"All right, all right. Don't bust my balls." Scott put his radio away as he raced through the hall. If the hit men got away, there was no chance in finding them, even if the kid identified them. If the mob thought there was witness, they would kill the two hit men before they could cut a deal. A quick search of the school showed no sign of the hit men. Scott kicked a locker in frustration. He met up with Derek and Marty outside the school. Police had the school shut down.

"Bastards got away. Where's the kid?" asked Scott.

"On his way to the hospital," replied Marty. Scott rubbed his face.

"We're going to have hell to pay for this fuck up," moaned Scott.

"My ass. Someone set us up. There's no way this was leaked, Scott," said Derek. Scott shook his head.

"Let's hope the powers that be think that as well. Or we're going to be held personally responsible for the deaths of two FBI agents and a major witness in a federal trial."

Cody arrived at the hospital with a police officer, and walked into the waiting room. His mom, Carey, had already been contacted and was on her way. Cody was told to sit in the waiting room until she got there, but he couldn't just sit there while his brother could be dying. He needed to do something. He needed to see Zack. Cody found a hospital directory and located the ER, which just happened to be on the first floor. Now the problem was finding what room Zack was in. He wandered down the first hallway with no such luck. Then it was on to hallway number two. There was no luck there either. Third hall was a charm though. Cody ducked down behind a cart that was in the hallway when two doctors ran by. They entered the room that Zack was in and Cody followed when the coast was clear. He peeked his head above the window and looked inside. What he saw startled him. Zack appeared to be deeply sedated. His eyes were taped and a long tube was sticking out of his mouth. There was a blue sheet draped over him with a section cut open that exposed Zack's stomach. All the doctors in the room had already washed their hands, and the nurses were cleaning Zack's gunshot wound with disinfectant. The doctors were just about to perform the surgery when one of the nurses turned around. Cody ducked down, but knew he had been spotted. The nurse came and shut the curtain, leaving Cody to sit outside the hall.


	2. Federal Watchdog

**A/N: We just want to say thanks to everyone who reviewed, and please keep reviewing. We want to hear all of your thoughts! **

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Scott sat on the hood of a car, dreading the inevitable meeting with his boss. Special agent in charge, Richard Woods, came walking over to Scott with a pissed off look on his face. His entire face was red. This should be fun, thought Scott.

"What the hell happened, Scott?" asked Woods.

"They knew we were here. They put on a good offense and managed to kill Harlan," explained Scott, calmly.

"As well as two of our agents. Jesus, Scott, you could lose your job for this."

"Why? Because some prick fucked up and blew our cover?"

"Watch it with that attitude, Scott. An innocent boy is in the hospital with a gunshot. This is a media feeding frenzy just waiting to happen. Where are we at now, Scott? We have no leads and nothing to help this trial out."

"Actually I think that boy might be a witness."

"The kid with the bullet in his gut?"

"Yeah, him." Woods rubbed a hand over his bald head.

"Then your job is to protect that boy and his family at all costs. We need to find the sons of bitches who did this."

"I have to baby sit?"

"You want me to take your badge away?" Scott sighed.

"Fine. I'll protect the kid."  
"At all costs." Woods scoffed and walked away. Scott kicked the tire of the car. There goes his big case.

…….

Cody quietly sat in the waiting room as he waited for his mother. Zack had already been in surgery for a half hour. Cody had seen three other surgeons rush to the OR he was in. Apparently Zack's condition was not good. A nurse had come out and told Cody that the bullet was deep in Zack's lower intestine. Zack would be in surgery for at least six hours. Cody wiped away some tears as he thought about everything that had happened. Three people had been murdered in his school for reasons Cody couldn't even begin to imagine. Zack had been shot in the stomach and could die at any second. Cody closed his eyes and willed himself not to cry. He leaned back in his chair and tried to get some sleep. He looked up when the door opened. He expected to see his Mom standing in the doorway. Instead there was a man in a suit.

"Are you Cody Martin?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm Cody," answered Cody. The man held out a badge.

"Scott Rivers, FBI. I'd like to ask you a few questions."

"About the shooting?" Scott walked into the waiting room and sat down.

"Yeah, about the shooting." Cody nodded.

"Did you see anything? Like maybe the shooter?" Cody shook his head.

"I just heard the shots. I don't know why but I ran to them. That's when I found Zack."

"Zack, your brother?"

"Yeah. He was shot. He's in surgery right now." Scott leaned back in his seat.

"Did he mention anything about the shooters?" asked Scott.

"No. It was hard for him to even stay awake. I made him talk about a movie we saw recently so he wouldn't pass out and go into shock. I didn't want him to die right there in the hall." Fresh tears fell down Cody's face. He didn't bother to wipe them away.

"That was very smart of you, Cody. You could have very well saved your brother's life." Cody nodded.

"Why were those men killed? Do you know?" Scott sighed.

"No. But I'm going to find out." Scott looked at his watch.

"I've got some other things to attend to but I'll be back later to see how you're doing." Cody nodded.

"Nice meeting you, Agent Rivers."

"Call me Scott." Cody smiled. Scott gave him a nod and then stood up and left. He felt bad not telling Cody about the hit but he didn't need to scare him by telling him that a mob family had almost killed his brother.

Cody closed his eyes again. He heard the door open, and looked up. This time it was his mother standing in the doorway. He got up and ran to Carey, throwing his arms around her. Carey wrapped her arms around him, and they sat there for a minute. Cody's face was stuffed into her shirt, and she could hear him sobbing.

Carey was having a hard time not crying. She wanted to cry so badly. But how could she cry when her son needed comforting. He needed to know that Zack was going to be okay, and he wasn't going to believe everything was okay if she didn't believe it herself.

When the embrace was broken, Carey walked into the waiting room with Cody and sat down. "How's Zack doing," asked Carey.

"Not so good," Cody said as his lips quivered. "He's going to be in surgery for like six hours."

Carey was a little shocked by how long the surgery was going to be. "What happened, Cody? I talked to a policeman on the phone, but he only said that Zack was shot. How bad is it?"

"A nurse said the bullet went into his lower intestine, and it's really deep."

"How did this happen? Did a student bring a gun to school? I guess I don't understand how Zack got shot in school."

"No. It was nothing like that. Well, I don't know. I guess it could have been. Look, mom, I don't know what happened. I heard gunshots and when I found Zack, there was nobody else in the hallway, well, except the janitors and Mr. Harlen," Cody said. His voice was getting shakier by the minute. Carey could tell he didn't really want to answer any more questions so she didn't ask anymore. The two just sat in silence.

The hospital door would open up occasionally and each time Cody would look up at whomever so happened to walk in. Sometimes they had cuts on their heads that bled through their fingers, and other times it was a sick little kid holding their mother's hands. Doing this just made Cody think how lucky these people were. They weren't suffering from anything that could be fatal. They only needed a few stitches or some medicine. But no matter how much it depressed him, Cody couldn't help but look up whenever he heard that now familiar creak of the door opening.

Cody was staring at his hands the next time the door opened. This time, instead of seeing some bloodied-up man, he saw a girl. It was Max. At first, Max just stood in the doorway, not exactly sure of where to go next. Then her eyes drifted to Cody's and she hesitantly walked over to where he and his mom were sitting.

"Hello, Mrs. Martin," she said before turning to Cody and saying, "Hey, Cody."

"Hi," was all either mother and son would say.

Max stood there awkwardly for a minute before choosing a seat across from the Martin's. "How's Zack doing?"

Cody looked at his mom for help. "He's okay. The surgery's probably going to be over in another five hours. We won't really know much until then," replied Carey.

"Oh. Well, I'm sorry all of this happened."

"You don't have to apologize. It wasn't you that shot him," Cody said coolly.

Max stared at him for a second and went on. "Well, I came here because I thought you might want to know what people are saying about the shootings. I heard someone say that two men in suits were seen leaving the schoolyard right after the shooting."

Carey's jaw dropped. "So you're saying this wasn't just one of those school shootings you hear about in the news? Someone actually came to the school to kill someone?"

"I don't know what I'm saying. I just thought you might want to know what people are talking about."

"Thanks Max. We'll tell Zack you stopped by when he gets out of surgery."

"Alright. Well, I better get going. Mom's waiting in the car," Max said as she turned and walked away.

She was almost out the door when Cody stood up. "Max. Thanks for coming. It really means a lot," he said as he planted a small smile on his face. Max returned the smile and nodded her head before she walked out the door.

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Scott stood in the hallway, waiting for a surgeon to bring him the bullet that had been dug out of Zack's stomach. He had been cut out of the loop as far as the shooting was concerned. Now he was officially on babysitting detail. The OR doors finally opened and out came a team of nurses pushing Zack down to recovery. Scott caught a glimpse of the boy as he was wheeled by. He still had a tube in his mouth and a plastic support was being used to keep the tube in place. A surgeon walked up to Scott. He handed Scott a small plastic bag, which had the bullet in it. 

"How's the boy?" asked Scott.

"He's OK for now. He didn't need to lose any of his intestinal track. We mainly just had to clear out a lot of excess fluid and blood from the stomach. He'll probably need a few more surgeries in time."

"How soon do you think until he wakes up?"

"Too soon to tell. We just have to wait and see how he does."

"Thank you, doctor." The surgeon nodded and walked off to go talk to Carey and Cody. Scott sighed. The case was getting more and more frustrating by the minute. And the worst part hadn't even begun. Scott knew that before long, some very angry hit men would return to finish what they started.

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Well there you go! Chapter 2! Please review! I just rhymed. lol. 


	3. Same Old Obnoxious Zack

Disclaimer: We own nothing but the plot and the characters not assosciated with TSL.

**A/N: Well, me and xfilesguy123 got to chatting and we decided that if we don't start seeing some reviews, we will be forced to pull the plug on this story. So you better review! **

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Carey and Cody had been sitting in the stuffy waiting room for six hours and they were both anxious to hear some news from Zack's doctor. Carey was looking at her watch constantly. Cody just stared at the hallway Zack's room was in.

"Why is it taking so long? Did something go wrong?" Cody asked his mom in desperation.

"It's okay, Cody. It's only been six and a half hours. You heard the nurse. She said that the bullet was deep. They probably just had a harder time getting it out than they thought they would." Carey's voice was calm as to not worry her son, but deep inside she was screaming. The nurse said six hours and that deadline had passed thirty minutes ago.

Then Carey saw a movement out of the corner of her eye. She looked over and saw Cody standing up and he was staring at someone. Carey looked at who Cody was staring at. To her relief it was a doctor.

"Hello. I'm Dr. Gendich. I was a surgeon working on your son," said the doctor, holding out his hand.

His smile made Carey feel a little better and she let out a sigh of relief, but she still needed to ask the dreaded question. "Is my son okay?"

"Yes, he's fine. Though that bullet was quite a booger to get out. He's resting now, but you can see him if you'd like.

Neither Martin needed to be told twice. They made their way down the hallway and stepped into Zack's room. Carey walked straight to the bed and began rubbing Zack's hair with her fingers. But Cody lingered in the doorway. He wondered if the doctor was lying to him. Zack didn't look fine at all. His skin was paler than Cody had ever seen before and there was that tube sticking out of his mouth. But the thing that bothered Cody the most was all the tubes and wires coming off Zack in various places and the machines they were connected to. He didn't like all of the beeping noises they made, but worst of all, he couldn't imagine how much he would hate it if he didn't hear those beeping noises.

"Aren't you going to come in?" Cody looked away from Zack and up to his mother.

"Yeah. I was just waiting for you to finish so you could have some privacy."

"Oh it's okay. You can come in. I don't need any privacy right now."

Cody walked over to Zack's bed and looked down. Zack looked even worse up close. "Actually, mom, do you think I could be alone with Zack for a minute?"

Carey was startled for a minute, but agreed. She left the room stopping once to glance back at her sleeping son.

Once Cody was sure Carey was gone, he dragged a chair that was sitting in the corner of the room over to Zack's bed. "Hey Zack. You scared the hell out of me. I thought you were going to die! When I saw those janitors and then Mr. Harlan, don't get me wrong, I was sad, but when I saw you..." Cody couldn't finish his sentence. "Look, I just want you to wake up."

As if Zack had heard his brother's words, his eyes fluttered open. As he began breathing by himself, he started choking on the tube. Cody yelled for help so fast, that the tube was out of Zack's mouth in a matter of seconds. When the doctors were gone, Cody said, "Oh, Zack. You're awake!"

Zack's voice sounded a little groggy but he had no problem saying, "You wake up every morning and you don't see me getting excited." Zack smiled.

"Ha ha, very funny. Do you feel all right? Is there any pain?"

"If I say no will you leave me alone?" There was Zack's smile again.

"Zack. I'm serious."

"So am I."

Cody had been happy that Zack was sounding like his usual self before, but now he was getting downright annoyed. "Come on. Tell me the truth. Are you in any pain?"

"Yeah. A little. But it's not too bad. You don't have to worry about me." Zack yawned.

"You're tired. You better get some sleep." Cody leaned down and hugged his twin. "I love you, Zack."

"I love you too, geek boy." Cody didn't even have a chance to respond to that before Zack's eyelids closed and he drifted into sleep. He quietly walked out of the room to meet his mom in the waiting room. To his surprise, Max was there, and she was holding a vase with an assortment of orange flowers in it.

When Max saw Cody approaching she said, "I got these for Zack. I know orange is his favorite color, and I'm sure he'd rather look at these than anything in his room."

"Yeah. I'm sure he would."

"Is he awake?"

"No. He just fell asleep." Cody saw Max's face had fallen so he added, "You can still go see him if you want."

At that, Max's eyes lit up and after Cody told her what room he was in, she practically ran to his room. When she arrived, Zack was sleeping just like Cody had said so she placed the flowers on the windowsill. Then she sat down in the chair next to his bed.

"Hey Zack. It's Max. I know you're sleeping but I feel really bad about what happened. I just needed to see you." Max stared at Zack for a second. She wanted Zack to wake up. "I wish I knew what happened. People are saying these guys in suits shot you, but why would they do that. You're just a kid. I bet you know what happened."

Just then the door opened and a nurse stepped in. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but you're going to have to leave. Visiting hours are over."

"Bye, Zack." Max stood up and left, returning to the waiting room and said goodbye to Carey and Cody. Then she left for home.

……….

Tommy Santini knew the shit was about to hit the fan. Two federal agents were dead along with Roger Harlan. And there was a thirteen-year-old boy in the hospital. The boss was going to have Tommy's head on a platter. Tommy let out a deep breath and walked into the nightclub that was one of the Caprenza family's main businesses in Boston. Tommy was not directly related to the Caprenza family at all. The owner of the club, Vinny Dante, was though. Tommy worked primarily for him. He had his own crew that did whatever dirty work Vinny had for them. Tommy had sent two of his best men to kill Harlan. He had never thought they would also end up killing two federal agents. Sonny was counting some money at a bar when Tommy walked up to him.

"Hi, Vinny," said Tommy, sighing. Vinny stopped counting and looked at Tommy.

"I take it you know that your boys made the news today," growled Vinny. Tommy nodded.

"They fucked up. Pure and simple," explained Tommy.

"There's nothing pure and simple about it. The FBI are going to come down on us like a fucking anvil. A young boy is in the hospital because of those two." Vinny never raised his voice. He didn't have to. All his men feared and respected him. Vinny telling them they messed up was scary enough. At a moments notice he could have them killed. Tommy was half expecting for someone to come behind and blow his brains out. It didn't matter that he was Vinny's nephew. There was no excuse for messing up a hit on a federal witness.

"You deal with the problem yourself, Tommy. I'm not cleaning up this mess. You make sure that boy never talks." Tommy raised an eyebrow.

"You want me to order a hit on a thirteen-year-old boy?"

"That boy is going to become a federal witness once he recovers. It's either that or you kill Richie and Mikey." Tommy leaned against the bar. He closed his eyes.

"I've done a lot of bad things in my life. But I'm not prepared to order my men to kill a young boy." Vinny put a hand on his nephew's shoulder.

"It's either that or you kill your own guys." Tommy gave his uncle a look of disgust.

"It hurts us all, Tommy. But it has to be done." Tommy shook his head. Vinny sighed.

"OK, look. I'll have some of my guys do it. They're cold blooded. They'd kill a five-year-old if I asked them to. But if the FBI even start to dig around your place, I want Richie and Mikey taken care of." Tommy nodded. Vinny patted his nephew on the cheek. Tommy sighed and walked off, cursing the fact that he had been dragged into a very serious indictment.

……...

Scott sat in the hospital waiting room, passing by the hours as the Martin's personal bodyguard. Some top agents from DC had been called in. With Scott on babysitting duty, that left his team under the command of some pencil pusher from DC. It made Scott sick to think about it. He looked up as two DC feds walked up to him.

"Hey, babysitter, how's the kid?" asked one of them.

"Blow me," replied Scott.

"Hey, you're talking to a veteran. Show some respect," exclaimed the other fed.

"You blow me too. Kid's sleeping. Don't wake him," groaned Scott.

"I'm not waiting around. I'm finding the guys who killed our witness and I'm taking them down," said the first fed.

"The kid just had surgery to remove a bullet from his stomach. Show some fucking compassion," growled Scott.

"Stay out of this. This is no longer your case," snapped the first fed.

"But the kid is. You're not going near him right now," said Scott, getting in front of the two feds as they headed for Zack's room.

"Get out of my way," said the first fed.

"Make me," threatened Scott. If those two feds questioned Zack, they'd be ruthless. Kid would end up in a shrink's office. If Zack was going to talk to anyone, it was going to be Scott.

"Don't push me," said the first fed.

"Don't make me push you," said Scott. The fed narrowed his eyes.

"I'm going to your supervisor. I'll have your badge by the end of the day," said the first fed. He and his partner walked off.

"Prick," mumbled Scott. He noticed Cody Martin was leaning against a wall nearby.

"Yes," said Scott.

"What did Zack witness?" asked Cody.

"The murder of that teacher and those two feds," replied Scott.

"Why is the FBI so interested in it?" asked Cody.

"Two of our agents got killed. That's major."

"Why was Mr. Harlan killed?"

"I'm not at liberty to discuss that." Scott walked back towards his seat.

"You're here to protect my brother. Why?"

"I can't tell you that so don't even bother asking."

"Someone tried to murder my brother today. You can at least tell me why." Scott glared at Cody.

"Don't push me, kid. I can't discuss federal matters with you." Cody let out a huff and stormed off. Scott sighed and sat back down. What else could go wrong with this case?

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And again, please review. The life of this story is at stake! 


	4. Mishap in the Ballroom

Disclaimer: We own nothing but the plotline and our own made up characters.

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait. We've both been very busy. Thanks to all of you who reviewed. We are very greatful. To make us even happier, review some more! Yeah! Woo hoo. Here's chapter 4!

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**

"Deep breath, Zack." Zack let out a deep breath so the nurse could listen to his chest. It was three days after Zack's surgery. There had been no word on how the search for the shooters was coming. Scott was still stuck guarding the Martins. Zack was doing very well.

"You're doing surprisingly well for such a short time after being shot," said the nurse gleefully. "How's your stomach feel?"

"Okay, I guess. A little weird. Feels like it was mixed up in a blender," replied Zack. The nurse had Zack lie down. She felt his stomach a little.

"Ah, that's tender. Tender," moaned Zack, as the nurse touched the skin around his surgical wound.

"Sorry," said the nurse. She finished her exam.

"You're done. I think you're about ready to go home. That bullet just missed causing some serious damage," said the nurse.

"Thank God," said Carey, who had been sitting quietly next to Zack's bed through the entire examination. Cody was sitting next to her, too tired to really say anything.

"So, uh, anyone know who shot me?" asked Zack, lying back in bed.

"I was hoping you could tell me," said a voice from the doorway. Everyone turned towards the door. Scott was leaning against the doorframe.

"Agent Rivers. How nice to see you," said Carey.

"Agent?" asked Zack.

"That's right. Scott Rivers FBI. I need to ask you a few questions, Zack," said Scott.

"FBI? What's that stand for?" asked Zack.

"Federal Bureau of Investigation," explained Cody, rolling his eyes.

"Oh. Why do you need to talk to me?" asked Zack.

"I want to know who shot you," said Scott, walking into the room.

"I don't really remember what they look like. I just remember the blood. Sorry I'm not being more helpful," said Zack.

"No worries. If you think of something, let me know," replied Scott. Zack nodded. Scott left the family in peace.

After Scott and the nurse left, Carey and Cody helped Zack get changed into some real clothes. It took a while though because Zack was so tender. It was hard for him to bend down or raise his arms. When the whole ordeal was done though, the Martin family checked out of the hospital.

"So you don't remember who shot you?" asked Cody after the car had been silent for quite some time.

Zack shook his head solemnly. "No. The last thing I remember is you telling me not to fall asleep. But then I fell asleep so, yeah; I definitely don't remember what happened after that."

* * *

"We're home!" Carey exclaimed from the front seat. 

As soon as the car stopped, both Carey and Cody jumped out of the vehicle to help Zack get out. "I can do it myself you know," he said.

Carey and Cody wouldn't hear of it though as they practically carried Zack to the Tipton lobby. Once inside, a roar of cheers sounded. "Welcome home, Zack!" It seemed that everyone Zack knew was at the Tipton. Just to name a few, all of his teachers, Max, Tapeworm, Bob, Warren, Jessica and Janice, Barbara, and Darlene were all there. The Tipton Staff had all gathered, too. Zack was most excited about Maddie.

Everyone was asking how Zack was doing. He would always reply with "I'm alright." Then Mr. Moesby stepped in front of the crowd of people and told everyone there would be cake and ice cream down in the ballroom. All the kids raced towards the elevator while the mature adults walked slowly. Only Zack and Cody didn't run to the elevator. Zack's stomach couldn't handle that quite yet.

When at last Zack and Cody made it to the Ballroom, almost everyone had gotten some cake and ice cream. While the two of them stood in line, Janice and Jessica came to talk.

"You are so brave, Zack!" said Janice.

"Really, really brave!" Jessica said next.

"Um…thanks. I wouldn't exactly call it bravery though. I got shot, then I went unconscious."

"But if I would have gotten shot, I would be really scared I was going to die," Jessica replied.

"Really, really scared!"

"It was nothing. Hey, I'm going to get some cake now," Zack said when he realized that the line had long since disappeared. Jessica and Janice left him so he could get his cake and ice cream. Then he went over by Cody who was talking to Maddie.

"Hi, Zack! It's so great to see you! When I heard you got shot I was so worried. It really scared me," Maddie exclaimed.

"So you missed me?"

"Of course I did, Zack!"

"Well in that case…" Zack steps just a little closer to Maddie and plants a tender kiss on her cheek. Maddie stares blankly at Zack for a moment. Then she gained her composure.

"I didn't miss you that much." Zack was truly hurt by that statement. That is until he saw the twinkle in her eyes that said she was just joking.

"Hey, Zack! Zack!" Max was running towards Zack, waving her hands in the air. "I've been looking for you! It's so crowded in this place."

"Yeah well, I guess a lot more people love me than I thought." Zack said with a laugh. Maddie and Cody were watching this exchange of words and looked at each other. Both smiled.

"Oh, um. I've gotta go get some more cake," was Cody's excuse to get away from the cute couple.

"Yeah, me too. It's really good cake," Maddie said as she ran after Cody.

Then it was Max and Zack's turn to look at each other. "Well, that was weird," said Zack.

"Yeah. It was. So, did you see the flowers I got you?"

"The orange ones?"

"Yeah. I thought you'd like them."

"I did. Orange is my favorite color." Just then, Darlene walked up.

"Hey, Zack. How are you feeling?" asked Darlene.

"I'm alright. Actually, I'm really sick of people asking me that. Could we talk about something else?"

Darlene nodded her head. There was an awkward silence where everyone just looked at each other. "So…" said Max.

"Um…daytime television sucks," said Zack. Everyone's faces shifted from confusion, to "wow, that was random", to hysterical laughter. Zack, not knowing this statement would get such a laugh decided to take it a little further and began mocking some soap opera he had seen.

"Oh Leonard! Don't leave me!' 'But Susan, I'm not in love with you. You know I love that cocktail waitress at the Plaza.' 'How could you? You made love with me! Didn't that mean anything to you?" Zack just couldn't go on anymore. He was laughing so hard he was crying, as was everyone else who happened to listen in on the conversation. Maddie had walked back into the conversation, as well as Tapeworm and Warren by now.

"Soap operas are so weird. You're totally right though, Zack. That's pretty much how they go," said Cody who had walked into the conversation just in time to hear the impressions.

"I don't think they're that bad," said Bob adding to the conversation.

"Since when do you watch soap operas?" asked Zack.

Bob looked stunned that he would openly say something good about soap operas, but he recovered quickly. "I don't. My mom does."

Zack didn't answer though. It sounded like he was coughing his brains out. "Zack, are you okay?" asked Cody, slightly worried about his brother's condition.

"Yeah. I just swallowed some cake and it went down funny," he said in-between his coughing.

"You don't look okay. You want me to get mom?

"No. I'm…okay. I think." But Zack kept right on coughing. It was getting so bad that tears were forming in his eyes. Cody looked again at his brother. He wanted to get his mom so bad, but didn't want to worry her. "Get mom!" Zack finally yelled. That's all Cody needed to hear. He was dodging through the people and yelling for his mom.

Then blood began dripping from Zack's mouth as he coughed. Seeing the blood, he started panicking. Mixed in with the blood now were his tears. His throat burned. Then, without warning, Zack vomited all over the floor. By now, Carey had been found and was standing by Zack's side. Zack had stopped coughing, but still stood there, dazed.

"Zack. Are you okay?" Carey asked with loads of worry in her voice.

Zack didn't answer though. In fact, he didn't even look at Carey. Instead, his eyes rolled in the back of his head as his body started convulsing. His body tumbled to the floor and Carey screamed, "Mr. Moesby! Call 911! " He was gone before Carey even finished her sentence. One of Zack's teachers took off his coat and threw it down to Carey who put it under Zack's head to stop it from hitting the floor too hard.

Tears were streaming down Cody's face and forming a puddle on the floor where he sat watching his brother shake violently. Everything was a blur for him after that. The ambulance came and took Zack, Carey literally dragged him with her as she got into the car, and soon enough he was back at the place he had just left only a couple hours ago. This wasn't supposed to happen. Not when everything was just beginning to become a little bit normal.

The waiting room was quiet as everyone waited for word on Zack. According to the doctor he was suffering from septic shock. He had been rushed to the OR for emergency surgery. Cody and Carey arrived soon after. After twenty minutes, Moseby arrived with a bunch of people from the party. Maddie, Max, Janice and Jessica, Darlene, Bob, and Mr. Woodman the woodshop teacher, and Zack's favorite teacher. Max sat down next to Cody who was staring blankly at the floor.

"How's he doing?" asked Max. Cody looked at her.

"Not good. He was bleeding into his stomach cavity. He also has a leak in his bladder. He's going to be in surgery awhile," explained Cody, sniffling every once and awhile. Max rubbed his back. Carey was explaining everything to Woodman and Moseby. Cody thought it was great that Mr. Woodman had gone out of his way to come to Zack's party. And now here he was at the hospital, worried about one of his favorite students. The hours dragged on. A nurse would come out every once and awhile to assure everyone that Zack was doing fine. Scott Rivers showed up about four hours into the operation. He had been called off duty after Zack was released. Looks like he was back. He nodded at Carey as he went to go stand guard at the OR doors.

In the operating room, the surgery was coming to a close after six hours. The two main surgeons carefully closed Zack up. But there was still some excess fluid in his stomach. Doctors made a small incision in Zack's navel. They then stuck a small hose through it and into Zack's stomach. They would leave it in for a few days to drain Zack's stomach so an infection wouldn't occur. Zack was taken to intensive care as the surgeon went to talk to the crowd in the waiting room.

After six hours, the surgeon came out. The front of his shirt had some dried blood on it. Carey went to talk to him. Cody and Max watched her reaction. Cody saw relief wash over Carey's face. Zack was OK. Carey waved Max and Cody over. Cody didn't have to be told twice. He bolted up and followed Carey to Zack's room, not sure of what to expect.

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	5. Zack

Disclaimer: Sadly, we don't own TSL, but we own the plot and our made-up characters.

**A/N: DMBfan helped me write this chapter because xfilesguy123 had a family emergancy. Hope you enjoy!**

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Carey, Cody, and Max all stood before the door that opened up to Zack's room. It was as if each person was gathering all the courage they had just to face him. They knew he wouldn't look like the Zack they all knew and loved. Carey reached for the doorknob as Cody and Max each sucked in a deep breath. Cody didn't want to see Zack like this again. It was hard enough the first time, and he knew it would only be worse. He felt bad for Max for having to see it too. She was not one to get queasy but it being Zack and all can make a big difference. Cody remembered feeling sick the first time he saw Zack after the shooting. He could only imagine what Max was feeling. Cody was right about one thing. Zack looked worse. A lot worse. There was that tube in his mouth again with a plastic support between his lips. The worst part though was that Zack looked almost dead. Before it looked like he was just sleeping, but now his face was paler, giving off a white hue. The tube coming from his navel didn't look good either. There was a yellowish fluid coming out of it. There was also blood mixed in.

"Cody. Earth to Cody." Suddenly there was a hand waving in front of Cody's face. He snapped his head back as he came back to earth to see Carey standing in front of him.

"Huh?"

"I asked you if you wanted to talk to Zack," Carey said.

"No, you can talk to him for a minute if you want. I'm gonna go sit in the hall for a while," he said. He could tell there was something wrong with Max. He needed to talk to her. As he walked out of the room he grabbed her by her arm. Cody couldn't help noticing that she wouldn't look him in the eye.

"What's wrong, Max?" Max turned herself to face Cody. That's when he saw the tears glistening in her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Cody took no time at all to put his arm around his friend's shoulder.

"Yeah. I'm okay. You don't think I'm crying do you? 'Cause if you do, I just have something in my eye. I think it's an eyelash or something," Max retorted quickly.

"Max, it's okay to cry."

"No it's not! You're his brother! You're the one that should be crying! Not me!"

"It's okay to cry once in a while. You don't always need to be this...this tough girl! Just be what you want to be and don't worry about what people think. You can always cry in front of me."

"Thanks, Cody. I guess it's nice to have a friend like that."

"Like what?"

"With Zack, it's all fun and games. I could never be emotional with him."

"Uh..."

Things were starting to feel awkward between the two so it was lucky when Carey stepped out of the room. Her face was red and puffy. Cody could tell she had been crying. She looked at Max who tried to cover her face.

"You guys can go in now. I've had my privacy." The two looked at each other as Carey walked away to the waiting room. Then they reached out and held hands. They were going to do this together. They stepped into the room. Zack still looked dead. A chair was already sitting by the bed so Cody only needed to grab one more before sitting down next to Max. They didn't say anything as they stared at Zack. It was too unbelievable. Zack was usually so strong and active. It hurt to see him in this condition.

* * *

Tommy Santini rubbed his eyes as he listened to the news report regarding Zack Martin. Mikey Vernio shook his head as he poured himself another drink.

"It's messed up, Tommy," said Mikey. Tommy nodded.

"Vinny wants me to order a hit on the kid. Shit, Mikey, I can't do that," moaned Tommy. Mikey shrugged.

"It's either that or cap Richie and I. You want I do myself in?" asked Mikey. Tommy shook his head.

"I have to do it. There's no other choice. I can't kill you and Richie," concluded Tommy. Mikey poured himself a shot.

"Whatever, Tommy. You're the boss," said Mikey, downing his shot. Tommy's brother and right hand man, Tony, walked into the club.

"How'd it go?" asked Tommy.

"Everything's taken care of," answered Tony. "Well, almost everything." Suddenly Tony drew his gun and shot Mikey in the head. Blood splattered all over the bar and Tommy.

"Damnit, Tony," exclaimed Tommy, standing up.

"Sorry, Tommy," apologized Tony. Tommy wiped the blood off his face.

"Well, at least the loose ends are tied up. I don't have to order a hit on a young boy," said Tommy. "Get this son of a bitch out of here." Tony whistled and soon two more of Tommy's guys, Sonny and Rocco, walked into the club from the back.

"Help me take this guy down to the bay," ordered Tony.

"Holy shit. You whacked Mikey?" asked Sonny.

"You want to be the one to cap the thirteen-year-old?" asked Tommy. Sonny shrugged and went to help Tony and Paulie move the body. Jimmy Meretti, the owner of the club, walked in at that moment. He pulled Tommy aside.

"Vinny's outside. He wants to talk to you," said Jimmy, whispering.

"What about?" questioned Tommy, now starting to get worried.

"I don't know," replied Jimmy. Tommy sighed and walked out to the parking lot. Vinny was sitting in the back of a tan Toyota. His driver, Gino, waved to Tommy. Tommy nodded back and stood by Vinny's door. Vinny rolled the window down.

"Mikey and Richie get taken care of?" asked Vinny. Tommy nodded.

"Good. I got some other things that need taking care of. That no good pizza parlor downtown is causing shit again. Have Paulie go knock some skulls around."

"Why Paulie?" asked Tommy.

"Because Paulie has a talent for hurting people. Also, a waiter just robbed Vic's restaurant. This is not gong unpunished. Have Sonny and Tony go track that prick down and take care of him. Also you need to threaten those construction workers again. Bastards are threatening a strike. And don't forget to divide up Mikey and Richie's territories."

"Is that all?" asked Tommy. Vinny sighed.

"No. Listen, Tommy, I hate to be the one to tell you this. Orders just came in from Chicago. The kid is getting whacked anyway. I gave the order this morning." Tommy started breathing hard. Rage was building up inside of him.

"I just killed two of my guys. I watched as Tony blew Mikey's fucking head off. What the hell, Uncle Vin?"

"Don't even start to raise your voice at me. This comes directly from the Chicago families. I'm sorry, Tommy. They were going to order Richie and Mikey to be whacked anyway. They want no loose ends. The kid's being taken out. I'll handle it. I'll be in touch." Vinny rolled his window back up. Gino drove off, leaving Tommy standing in the parking lot. He couldn't let this happen. He wasn't going to stand by and watch as some poor innocent little boy got whacked. He had to act fast. If he didn't, Zack Martin was a corpse.

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	6. Stay of Execution

Disclaimer: We do not own TSL. We do own the plot and our own characters.

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Max had gone home an hour ago, and Cody needed to talk to someone. Even if they didn't talk back. He walked down the hall and into Zack's room. It was dark even though it was the middle of the day. Cody saw a window in the back and decided to open the curtain. It was amazing how much sunlight the curtain had imprisoned behind it. The room was suddenly filled with a light that made the room seem more like a home than a hospital room. But the light was too bright, and Cody saw Zack scrunch his eyebrows up. He quickly drew the curtain so that the sun wasn't shining directly in his brother's eyes but so that light could still shine through. When all of this was done, Cody sat down.

"Hey, Zack. I don't know if you can hear me right now, but I just really need to talk to someone. I miss you, man. I just want you to wake up and all of this to be over."

Zack's eyes fluttered for a few seconds. "Zack? Are you awake?"

Zack slowly opened his eyes and moved his hand to place it on Cody's hand, which was resting on the bed. "Look, I know how much you hate it when people ask you this, but, how are you feeling?" Realizing that Zack was unable to talk due to the tube in his mouth, Cody came up with a different plan. "I'll only ask yes and no questions from now on. Squeeze my hand once for yes and two for no. Got it?"

One squeeze was felt. "Cool. So are you feeling okay?"

One squeeze.

"Do you need anything?"

Two squeezes.

"Are you sick of questions yet?"

One squeeze.

"Yeah me to. Look man, seeing you like this is really hard for me. I don't know what to say. I just want you to be better. If something bad happens to you, I don't...I don't know what I'll do. This wasn't supposed to happen. You're supposed to be on a date with some girl, or at home copying my homework. Maybe we'd be in the lounge bugging Mr. Moesby. Anywhere, but here, Zack. Why'd this happen! You didn't do anything to deserve this! You're here because some fucked up person had a problem, and now you, and me, and mom are all paying for it! It isn't fair!" Cody's head fell down onto the bed as he cried. He cried harder than he had ever cried before. Cody could hear muffled sounds coming from Zack and he looked up. Zack's cheeks were glistening in the sunlight. Cody put his head back down and continued crying into his brother's bed. He could feel a hand glide its way up his back where it rested. Zack didn't talk, but Cody could hear him say that everything was going to be alright. And that was more comforting than anyone could ever imagine.

* * *

Tommy dropped his keys on the counter as he walked into his kitchen. The housekeeper and nanny had just left for the day. The television was on in the living room, where he was sure his eight year old son, Liam, was watching it. He leaned into the counter a minute. Today, he'd seen his friend get his brains blown out. It'd been a rough day. The only thing he wanted to do now was sit down with his son. He walked into the living room and sat down on the couch next to Liam. He looked at his son and realized how long it'd been since he'd really looked at him. Sure, he talked to him and fixed him supper and stuff, but other than that, he was too busy with paying the bills or thinking about the kid that's supposed to get killed. He just had too much on his plate to think about his kid.

"Hey dad."

"Hey, son. What are you watching?" The show ended after one final breathtaking moment, so Liam was able to rip his eyes away from the television.

"24. Why do you have blood on your shirt?"

Tommy had forgotten all about the blood. He was so tired, it just completely slipped his mind. "Uh...well, a guy at work fell and hit his head so I was trying to stop the bleeding. I'll go change my shirt and then I'll come back and sit with you."

Liam's eyes were instantly brighter. His favorite things to do always included his dad. When it came to throwing a football outside, bowling, or just hanging out on the couch, he always had fun.

It didn't take long for Tommy to get back. "How's school, buddy?"

Liam's eyes, instantly left his father's. "I don't like school."

"Why don't you like school?" Tommy couldn't believe his son hated school. He had always been the most popular boy in his class. He always figured his son would be the same way.

"Because I'm stupid."

"You are not stupid, Liam. Who told you that?"

"Everyone. I can't read very good."

"Well, I think I can help you with that. It just so happens I know how to read very well."

Liam laughed. Tommy loved it when Liam laughed. He sounded just like his mother, Amy. Come to think of it, he looked like her too. Liam had the same light brown hair, blue eyes, and dimples. Liam was only six months old when Amy was killed by a drunk driver. The guy had been caught a couple days later at a bar, but Tommy needed more than that. His wife was dead, the guy that killed her needed to die too. So Tommy joined the mob to seek revenge, much to the admiration of his father. Killing the guy who had killed his wife had been his first job. Suddenly a book was waving in front of Tommy's face.

"Come on, dad! Teach me how to read better!" Tommy took the book and opened it as Liam sat down happily next to him.

"Wait. Let's take it upstairs, it's almost your bedtime."

Though Liam wasn't excited about having to go to bed, he got up from the couch and went upstairs, Tommy following right behind. When they got upstairs, Tommy turned the light on and gasped.

"Liam! What happened to your lip?" Liam's lips were usually quite big, due to the fact he had his mother's lips, but his lips were twice their normal size and a big cut ran down the middle of his bottom lip.

"Well, I kind of got beat up at school."

Tommy wondered why he hadn't noticed his son's condition before, but realized the lights in the living room weren't on and he relied only on the light coming from the television. "Did you get beat up because you can't read? Because I had no idea kids could be so cruel!"

"No. I got beat up because I'm small. But don't worry, dad. I'm fine."

"Do you need some ice or anything? Does it hurt?"

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, dad. I'm fine," Liam stated slowly because his dad didn't seem to comprehend what he was saying the other times he'd said he was okay.

"Okay. If you're sure you're okay."

"I am. I'm gonna get changed quick." With that, Liam shed his shirt. Tommy noticed the scar on Liam's belly button from when he'd gotten his spleen removed after a car accident. The doctors had to put a tube in his belly button to get the extra fluid out of his stomach. But Liam had an outtie belly button so the scar was a little strange. A reminder of that horrible night. Tommy shook the memory out of his head for the time being. Liam was dressed in no time at all and sat in his bed waiting for his dad to sit next to him. Tommy did, and opened the book Liam had given him.

* * *

"Cody, I want you to go home and get some sleep. You haven't had a decent night's rest since the accident," Carey was saying.

"Mom! I'm not tired! I don't need to go take a nap."

"Don't tell me you're not tired. I can see the bags under you're eyes. Besides, it's almost eleven."

"But..."

"No but's, the taxi's waiting." Carey turned Cody towards the door and gave him a little push. She could hear him cussing under his breath and laughed. When Cody got to the Tipton he paid the taxi driver and went up to his suite. He had no intention of sleeping, but as soon as he fell onto the couch, he was dead to the world.

* * *

Carey sat in the waiting room with Maddie, just talking. She was glad to have someone to talk to because with Cody gone, she was lonely.

"So how's Zack doing? I was really worried about him," asked Maddie.

"He's okay now. He still isn't quite himself yet, but he'll get better soon." Just then, the hospital doors opened and Max stepped in.

"What are you doing here, Max?" Carey asked.

"I came to talk to Cody, but he's not here is he?" answered Max.

"No, I'm sorry. I made him go home so he could get some proper sleep. Shouldn't you be at home in bed."

"Well, Mom and I were driving by and I thought I should come in here and see how Cody is doing. Now that I'm here I might as well go see Zack," explained Max.

Go right ahead. He's sleeping so you'll have to be quiet. I'll let the nurses now that I said it was OK. Only family is allowed to be with him at this time," said Carey. Max nodded and went down the hall to Zack's room. He was indeed sound asleep. Max winced as her eyes fell on the support between his lips. Max pulled up a chair and sat down. She rubbed Zack's hand, whispered words of comfort to him. It pained her to think she couldn't really help him. All she could do was be with him and let him know that she cared.

……………

Tommy was woken up his cell phone rang. He grumbled and took it off the bedside table.

"Yeah," said Tommy.

"Tommy, it's Vinny." Tommy sighed.

"Uncle Vin, it's almost midnight."

"Just thought you should know that hit on the Martin boy has been called off for the time being. The Chicago families have more to worry about." Tommy sat up in bed.

"That's great." Tommy could hear his uncle sigh.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know. I've been thinking a lot about this kid. It just doesn't feel right. I've done a lot of things in my life. But I've never ordered a kid to be whacked."

"What can we do?" Vinny sighed again.

"God help me for saying this but we have no choice. The powers that be have gone too far. Times like this call for desperate measures. I think we need to get the FBI to help us out." Tommy nearly fainted.

"You mean become fucking rats?" He was appalled at the thought.

"No. Not at all. Help them take down the people who want this boy killed. That's uncalled for. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Uncle Vin, we killed Roger Harlan for the Chicago families. Taking them down makes the whole thing worthless. I lost two men over this."

"Tommy, I know. Believe me I know. But we're talking about an innocent little boy. We can't stand back and watch as he's killed. Now Don Capranza is sending a spokesperson here in a few days to meet with us. Maybe we can work something out. Let's pray to God that we do. But if we can't, we have to help that little boy. We may be thugs Tommy but we're not monsters."

"I agree. I know the agent who is guarding the boy. He helped me out of some jams before. He'll be willing to help and make sure we don't get pinned as rats."

"How?"

"I'll handle it. You just get ready for that meeting."  
"OK. Talk to your guys. Let's get this thing handled as soon as possible. I'll be in touch." Vinny hung up. Tommy sighed and hung up. This was not going to end well.

………

Cody woke at seven to his mother coming into the suite. He blinked his eyes and sat up on the couch.

"Not tired, huh?" asked Carey.

"Yeah, yeah. Why didn't you come home?" asked Cody, standing up.

"Maddie and I fell asleep in the waiting room," explained Carey. Cody gave her a dirty look.

"You sent me home and then you stayed," exclaimed Cody.

"Let's stop it with the attitude. I fell asleep. I meant to come home. I'm sorry," replied Carey. Cody bit his lip.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I'm just stressed out because of Zack," apologized Cody.

"Well don't be. You'll give yourself an ulcer. Want something to eat?" asked Carey. Cody shook his head. He wanted to get back to the hospital. He had been given a break from school due to a family emergency. Teachers had been sending over make up work and a few had stopped by the hospital to visit and give their sympathy. Cody's father Kurt had yet to show up. Carey had been unable to get a hold of him. Cody turned on the TV to take his mind off Zack. The early morning news was doing a pot on Mr. Harlan's death.

"Reports are finally coming in about the mysterious shooting death of middle school teacher Roger Harlan. An anonymous source confirmed that this was indeed related to the upcoming trial of notorious mob boss Vito Caprenza. Apparently Mr. Harlan was a witness for the prosecution. For channel 8 news, this is Paula Steele." Cody could feel his heart racing. Zack had been shot during a mob hit. The mafia had killed Mr. Harlan. Cody looked at Carey. Her mouth was open in shock. That explained while Scott Rivers and the FBI were hanging around. They were protecting Zack from the mob. Cody suddenly didn't feel safe. If Zack was a target of the mob, that meant Cody and Carey were too. And that meant they weren't even safe in their own home.

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	7. Complications

Disclaimer: We don't own TSL

**A/N: Thank you to all that reviewed. We love reading them and they make us happy. Keep us happy. Review!**

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Tommy came strolling into the meeting room at the back of the club at nine in the morning. The guys were waiting for him. "All of us managed to get here on time," mumbled Tony.

"I had to drop Liam off at school. Is that OK with you?" asked Tommy, sitting down.

"Sorry, Tom," apologized Tony.

"OK, boys. Some serious shit is developing. Vinny is planning to go after the families that want Zack Martin whacked," explained Tommy. All the faces went tense.

"Vinny wants to go after one of the most powerful crime rings in the country?" asked Jimmy.

"Not the entire ring. Just a few families want the boy whacked. Now we have a code of honor to uphold. Watching as little thirteen-year-old boy gets whacked does not fall into that code. We have to stop these guys and we're going to stop them and you all are going to help me," ordered Tommy.

"We're with you all the way, Tommy," assured Tony.

"A spokesman for the Caprenza's comes down in a few days. Hopefully we can work something out. If not, we'll use our FBI contacts to take down some of the Caprenza empire," explained Tommy.

"Scott Rivers is going to help us out?" asked Paulie.

"I'll ask him. He's going to be pissed it was us who shot up the school. But Scott is a reasonable man. He'll want to protect the kid," assured Tommy. Everyone nodded. "Then that's settled. Now for the business of what happens to Richie and Mikey's territories."

The guys looked at each other. "Tony, I want you to take Richie's turf. Just because it's some of our best moneymakers. You take his crew as well. Paulie, you take the east side of Mikey's. Sonny, I'm giving you the strip mall on Elkwood and Mikey's crew. It's a good way to get started. There's about six shops with the butcher shop being your home base. His guys are professional. They'll listen to you. Jimmy, you have the clubs on both turfs." Everyone was happy. Tommy was good at being reasonable and fair. "Everyone cool?" asked Tommy.

"No complaints," replied Sonny, leaning back in his chair.

"I have one question. What about Richie's game? That's the hottest poker game in Boston. Easily a couple hundred G's every night. Hell, maybe even a million. Who gets that?" asked Paulie.

Tommy leaned back in his chair. He thought about it for a few seconds. "I'll take it for now. Richie was given that game as a gift by Vinny. He may have other plans for it," explained Tommy. Tony had a disappointed look on his face. "You don't need another poker game," snapped Tommy.

"I thought I might trade some others games of mine for Richie's game," explained Tony.

"Talk to Vinny," replied Tommy. Tony nodded. "Now I assume you all know that Rocco gets out of jail tomorrow," said Tommy. The guys nodded. "Anyone willing to give him control of a few shops and businesses?" There was a short pause. The guys were going over their businesses in their heads.

"What the hell, give him my bakery on Vinewood. Those guys would listen to him," offered Paulie.

"Thank you. Anyone else?" asked Tommy.

"How about that sleazy club on Harwood? Rocco's good at running places like that," said Jimmy. Tommy nodded.

"Tony?" asked Tommy.

"Pizza parlor on Verner. I don't really need it," offered Tony.

"That's enough. Rocco has to earn back his old turf," stated Tommy.

"Good thinking," complimented Paulie.

"Hey, Tom, I was thinking. Maybe we should send some money to the family of that boy," said Jimmy.

"Out of sympathy or guilt?" asked Tommy.

"Both I guess. I feel just terrible about it," groaned Jimmy.

"Other families have been sending sympathy. Secretly of course," explained Tony.

Tommy rubbed his chin. "Let's talk to Scott Rivers before we do anything. Scott is a good ally to have in all this. He'll understand that our hand was forced. But don't fuck with him. Scott is still FBI. And he know how to take down a mob crew."

"Believe us, Tommy, we know," assured Tony.

"OK, guys. That's enough for today. Go do what needs to be done. I've got some calls to make," ordered Tommy. The crew parted and went to stake claims on their new turfs. Jimmy however stayed behind.

"You want to use my office?" asked Jimmy.

"Yeah, Jimmy. That'd be great," replied Tommy. He and Jimmy started walking towards the office.

"So how is Liam? I haven't seen him in awhile," questioned Jimmy.

"Liam's alright. Blissfully ignorant of who I am. I'm going to keep it that way for awhile," answered Tommy.

"That's a smart move. Eight's too young to have to deal with this shit," added Jimmy. Tommy nodded. Jimmy sighed as a crash came from a storeroom.

"Fucking college kids," complained Jimmy. He went off to deal with it. Tommy laughed and walked into the club office.

* * *

Scott was standing in the hallway of his apartment building, digging for his keys. He'd checked his pant's pockets already and now searched through his coat pockets. He just new they were there somewhere.

"Mr. Rivers." Scott looked down the hall to a girl wearing a cheer uniform. It was his daughter Emma's friend.

"What can I do for you, Emily?" Scott asked, stopping his search for keys.

"I just thought you should know that some girls were teasing Emma today. I don't know what they were teasing her about, but she took it pretty hard. I tried cheering her up for a while, but my mom needed me to pick up a pizza for supper so I had to go. I think you should talk to her."

Scott nodded his head. "Thanks. I'll do that." After Emily went to her own apartment, he continued searching for his keys and found them in an inner pocket of his coat. He'd never put his keys there before and wondered why he was compelled to do so. He didn't, however, waste time on the thought. His daughter needed his love and support and he planned to give it to her.

It didn't take long for Scott to hear the mournful sobs coming from his daughter's bedroom. He dropped his keys onto the key wrack and threw his coat on the sofa as he walked towards the crying. The door was open a crack so Scott looked in. The sight he saw nearly brought tears to his eyes, and he wasn't a man to cry. There was his twelve-year-old daughter, curled up in a ball on her bed. He knocked on the door before stepping into the room. Emma didn't even lift her head as Scott sat down on the bed next to her.

"Emily told me some girls were picking on you. Do want to talk about it?" Scott said.

"No," Emma replied, but she lifted her head. "But I think I need to."

Scott gently took Emma by the shoulder and pulled her close into a hug. "What happened?"

"Four girls in my cheer squad were teasing me because I have an outie belly button and big lips. One of them twisted my belly button after practice. It really hurt. I hate these stupid two-piece uniforms!" Emma yelled as she stood up. She walked over to her mirror and stared at her belly button. Why did she have to be an outie? Why couldn't she just be like all the other girls?

"Emma, having an outie is nothing to be ashamed of. Mom had one. A lot of people have them. Even celebrity's have outies. Just ignore those girls. The only reason they tease you is because they are insecure about themselves, and they think picking on people will make them feel better."

"Yeah. You're right. And my big lips? Angelina Jolie has huge lips and no one makes fun of her!" Scott's heart leaped for joy. His advice was actually working, and Emma was getting happier by the second.

* * *

Carey listened as Zack's main surgeon explained his condition. The damaged tissue was healing but fluid was still filling up his stomach. If that didn't stop soon, Zack would need to go back into surgery. Carey thanked the doctor as he left to deal with other patients. Carey slowly walked back into Zack's room, where Cody was watching over his brother with a caring eye. Carey put a hand on Cody's shoulder and sat down next to him.

"At least the wound is healing," mumbled Cody.

"Yeah. The doctor said Zack's worst enemy is infection and they think there's no longer a chance for that," explained Carey.

"That's good," replied Cody, softly. He took Zack's limp hand in his. A faint smile came to Cody's lips as Zack squeezed.

"That's right, Zack. I'm right here," said Cody. Zack's eyes fluttered open. Cody saw the drool starting to pool in the side of Zack's mouth and grabbed a tissue to clean it up.

"Are you awake?" Cody asked. Zack nodded his head ever so slightly, but Cody didn't miss it.

"Can I get you anthing?" Zack shook his head.

"Good. So I know you don't like reading but I went to the library today and picked up a few books. Maybe I could read to you so you don't get bored. Zack? You okay, man?" Zack's face was contorted in pain and a quiet whimpering was heard. Cody looked up and down at Zack but could find nothing wrong. Zack's whimpering became louder and Cody's search for whatever was wrong was even more frantic. That's when he saw his brother's hands were holding his stomache. He shoved the hands aside and lifted the sheets. Blood was soaking Zack's hospital gown, all the while, Zack's whimpering just got louder and louder. Cody lifted the gown up to see where the source of the bleeding was.

"Oh no! Zack! Oh my God, oh my God!" Cody screamed. He didn't know what to do so he put pressure on Zack's stomach, but the bleeding didn't stop and Zack's muffled scream was heard even through the tube and support that was in his mouth.

"Help! I need some help!" Cody yelled out the door of his brother's room. Carey was standing in the hall with a doctor a little ways away, and they both ran over.

"What's wrong?" The doctor asked. His voice was calm and Cody didn't like it. His brother's belly button was bleeding, there was nothing calm about the situation.

"His belly button, it's bleeding!" Cody yelled. He was in total hysterics. He hadn't even realized it when he suddenly felt his mother's arms wrap around his body.

Now, more doctors were streaming into the room. Cody was screaming at the doctors to help Zack, who was still whimpering like crazy until finally they pushed him and Carey out of the room and they closed the door. He protested, as Carey had to drag him away from the room. Finally, Carey just stopped Cody in the hallway.

"Come on, Cody. It's going to be okay. I'm sure Zack's going to be fine." Carey tried to comfort her son but it wasn't working as well as planned.

"I thought Zack was getting better! The doctors said the wound was healing and they didn't think he could get any infections!" Cody screamed. People's heads from the waiting room were seen coming around the corner.

"You need to calm down. Screaming in the hallway isn't going to help Zack," Carey said, placing a hand on Cody's head.

"What will help him, mom?" Cody looked up with teary eyes at his mother. Carey didn't know what to say to this. She had no idea herself. Instead she just pulled Cody into the biggest hug she could give.

After a minute or so Cody gently pushed Carey away. "Mom. We need to talk."

"Okay. About what?" Cody looked down the hallway. People were still craning their necks to try and figure out what all the yelling had been about. As soon as Cody stared at them, however, everyone pretended to go back to what they had been doing before. "I think we should talk about this somewhere else. Why don't we go into that room over there."

After being in the hospital a few days, Cody had gotten to know his way around and what rooms had people in them and which ones didn't. He dragged Carey into the room he had mentioned and shut the door.

"I can't believe there was a mob hit at school," said Cody.

"I can't believe it either. It's just so unreal," Carey replied.

"What do we do? I mean, shouldn't we have someone watching Zack? This can't be safe. The mob is out there somewhere and you can't tell me they aren't out there planning their next move to kill Zack. I've seen movies. The mob never forgets." Cody sat on the bed wringing his hands in his lap. Carey could see he was a nervous wreck. The last few days hadn't been good for him.

"Cody, don't worry. I'll call the cops in the morning and get someone to stand by Zack's room."

"Don't you think we should have someone looking after us?"

"I don't know, Cody. I don't know much of anything these days." Carey sat down on the bed and rubbed her face with the palms of her hands.

"You okay, mom?" Cody placed a hand on his mom's back and made small circles.

"Yeah. I'm just tired. I guess I do need to get some proper sleep. I just feel wrong leaving Zack."

"Now you know how I felt when you made me go home. I wish this never happened. Why did it have to be Zack? I mean, there's like 1,500 people in school. What are the chances that Zack would get shot?"

"I wish it didn't happen, too, but you're acting like you wish it was someone else that got shot," stated Carey.

"What if I do?"

* * *

Tommy tapped a pen on the desk as he waited for Scott Rivers to pick up. This was not going to be easy to convince Scott to do. Two of his guys had been killed. But there was one saving grace that would help Tommy out. A secret that no one at the FBI knew. A secret very few people in Tommy's family knew.

"Rivers," said Scott answering.

"Hey, little brother. It's Tommy." There was a short pause. Tommy could hear his fraternal twin let out a sigh.

"Tommy. Long time no talk to. How the hell are you?"

"Not so good. My crew made the news." Fuck that came out wrong, thought Tommy.

"I hope you're not talking about what I think you're talking about." Scott's voice was full of worry.

"Sorry about your guys."

"Tommy, for the love of God. You know what kind of a position this puts me in. I should have a task force go over to your place right now."

"Calm the fuck down. I have an offer for you. I can help you protect the Martin boy."

"How so?" Scott sounded doubtful.

"The families are talking about taking down the people who want him dead."

"Fuck. That'd mean war if it goes badly."

"I know. But there's no other choice. We can't let an innocent boy get killed."

"I understand. How can I help?" Tommy heard Scott sigh.

"Just get ready for some tips on where to take down some certain operations. Scott, I'm trusting you not to turn against me on this."

"I would never do that, Tommy. You know me. You've been supporting me since Emma was born. I owe you my life."

"We're family, Scott. That's what makes us strong. Give Emma my love. I'll talk to you later."

"Thanks, Tommy. This is a hell of a thing you're doing"

"Don't mention it. Later." Tommy hung up. That hadn't been as hard as he thought.

Jimmy walked into the office. "Vinny just called. The spokesman has arrived. We're meeting him at Carmella's at six," explained Jimmy.

Tommy raised an eyebrow. "I thought it was going to be a few days."

"Vito Caprenza called a friend down here and had him send someone over."

"What friend?"

"Johnny DeVito."

"Johnny? We've been friends with him and his crew since we started here. Johnny's like my brother."

"That's why Johnny said yes. He's trying to help, Tommy."

"Whatever. Have Tony and Paulie meet us there. We need a full force on this one."

"Not Sonny?" "He's not ready for a big meeting like this." Jimmy nodded. He left Tommy in peace. Tommy leaned back in his chair and went over the whole scenario in his head. The involvement of the DeVito family complicated matters. They ran a good portion of Boston. If talks didn't work out, Tommy could find himself going to war with them if they allied with the corrupt families. It was starting to get a little ridiculous. A mob war was brewing over an injured thirteen-year-old boy. And Tommy kept asking himself the same question. Was it worth risking his life and the lives of his crew and family?


End file.
